"movies."" ""Anchors Aweigh"" became one of the most successful films of 1945 and Kelly was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. In ""Ziegfeld Follies"" (1946)—which was produced in 1944 but not released until 1946—Kelly collaborated with Fred Astaire, for whom he had the greatest admiration, in the famous ""The Babbitt and the Bromide"" challenge dance routine. After Kelly returned to Hollywood in 1946, MGM had nothing planned and used him in a routine, black-and-white movie: ""Living in a Big Way"". The film was considered so weak that the studio asked Kelly to design and insert a series of"
"although her career waned post war. Astaire continued to make musicals including ""Holiday Inn"" (1942) with Bing Crosby, ""Sky's The Limit"" (1943) with Joan Leslie and ""Blue Skies"" (1946), his second and last movie with Crosby. He also partnered with numerous other dancers, including Rita Hayworth, Cyd Charisse and Judy Garland. Fearing his career was failing, ""Blue Skies"" was due to be Astaire's last film, after which he retired for two years. In 1948 Gene Kelly was due to star in MGM's ""Easter Parade"" alongside Judy Garland, but he broke his ankle, and MGM convinced Astaire to fill in, ending"
"as Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, and a montage of iconic stars such as Clark Gable, Mickey Rooney, John Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, James Stewart, Lana Turner, and Greta Garbo. Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire hosted the film and Kelly directed the introductory segments featuring him and Astaire, which included location footage of Kelly returning to Paris, the city featured in two of MGM's most famous productions, ""An American in Paris"" and ""Gigi"". This was the last film Kelly directed. Several new musical numbers featured Astaire and Kelly, including a couple of routines in which they danced"
"Easter Parade (film) Easter Parade is a 1948 American musical film starring Judy Garland, Fred Astaire and Peter Lawford, featuring music by Irving Berlin, including some of Astaire and Garland's best-known songs, such as ""Easter Parade"", ""Steppin' Out with My Baby"", and ""We're a Couple of Swells"". It was the most financially successful picture for both Garland and Astaire as well as the highest-grossing musical of the year. In 1912, Broadway star Don Hewes (Fred Astaire) is buying Easter presents for his sweetheart (""Happy Easter""). At one store, he must persuade a young boy to part with a cuddly Easter"
"of $2,325,420. ""The Barkleys of Broadway"" would be Astaire and Rogers' final movie together, although both would continue to make films with other stars. In the 50s, Rogers' movie career declined due to a move away from classic film stars, but Astaire remained in the industry and branched out into television. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) and Ginger Rogers (July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) were iconic dance partners who made motion pictures together from 1933 to 1949. They made a total of 10 films, nine of them with RKO"
"Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) and Ginger Rogers (July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) were iconic dance partners who made motion pictures together from 1933 to 1949. They made a total of 10 films, nine of them with RKO Radio Pictures from 1933 to 1939, and one, ""The Barkleys of Broadway"", with M-G-M in 1949, their only color (Technicolor) film. Many years later, they became known by the portmanteau nickname of ""Fringer"", popularised by Australian entertainer Dave Gorr. Astaire started dancing in the early 1900s as a child on stage"
"Gene Kelly filmography Gene Kelly (1912–1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director, producer and choreographer whose work in motion pictures spans from 1942 to 1996. He is probably best known today for his performances in musicals, notably ""An American in Paris"" (1951) and ""Singin' in the Rain"" (1952). Kelly made his Hollywood film debut in ""For Me and My Gal"" (1942), co-starring with Judy Garland. Afterward, he went on to work as an actor, dancer and subsequently, choreographer, in a series of musical films. In these films, his choreography included experiments with a combination of dance and animation (""Anchors"
"Then, in 1974, he appeared as one of many special narrators in the surprise hit of the year ""That's Entertainment!"". He subsequently directed and co-starred with his friend Fred Astaire in the sequel ""That's Entertainment, Part II"" (1976). It was a measure of his powers of persuasion that he managed to coax the 77-year-old Astaire—who had insisted that his contract rule out any dancing, having long since retired—into performing a series of song and dance duets, evoking a powerful nostalgia for the glory days of the American musical film. In 1977, Kelly starred in the poorly received action film ""Viva"
"only its cost, but also the increasing expense of the shooting delays while Garland was ill, as well because the general public was not yet willing to accept her in a sophisticated vehicle. Following her work on ""The Pirate"", she co-starred for the first and only time with Fred Astaire (who replaced Gene Kelly after Kelly had broken his ankle) in ""Easter Parade"", which became her top-grossing film at MGM and quickly re-established her as one of MGM's primary assets. Thrilled by the huge box-office receipts of ""Easter Parade"", MGM immediately teamed Garland and Astaire in ""The Barkleys of Broadway""."
"Scenic design by Frank E. Gates, and Edward A. Morange. Costume design by Wanamaker, Paul Poiret, and George Barber. It ran for 63 performances, closing on January 20, 1923. The cast was headlined by Fred Astaire (Gerald Lane), Adele Astaire (Judy Jordan), and Philip Tonge (Lord Kinlock). The Astaire siblings played the romantic couple. Gerald Bordman reports that ""Broadway’s critics were not bowled over. Although many headlines implied reviews would be raves, notices themselves were filled with qualifications. Most of the enthusiasm was reserved for the Astaires. When it came to Kern's score, the critics were generally unhappy"". Judy Jordan"
"previous RKO pictures. The next film in the series, ""The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle"" (1939), would be their final RKO film together, although they would reunite in 1949 for MGM's ""The Barkleys of Broadway"". Psychiatrist Dr. Tony Flagg (Fred Astaire) does his friend Stephen Arden (Ralph Bellamy) a favor by taking on his fiancée, Amanda Cooper (Ginger Rogers), as a patient. Amanda, a singer on the radio, can't seem to make a decision about Stephen's many proposals of marriage, so Tony probes with her subconscious mind. He is to interpret her dreams. When Amanda dreams of dancing with"
"his retirement. Due to their success as a partnership, Garland and Astaire were due to reunite for ""The Barkleys of Broadway"", but Garland was forced to drop out and Rogers took her place. The film, released in 1949, reunited Astaire and Rogers for their only movie for MGM and their only color film. During production, Astaire received an honorary Academy Award, which was presented to him by Rogers. This film was greeted with joy by critics, who were thrilled to see the partnership together once again. It was a success, earning a worldwide total of $5,421,000 on an estimated budget"
"believed that he and Donen ""were a good team. I thought we complemented each other very well."" After the success of ""On the Town"", Donen signed a seven-year contract with MGM as a director. His next two films were for Freed, but without Kelly. After being replaced as director on ""Pagan Love Song"" over personal differences with star Esther Williams, Donen was given the chance to direct his boyhood idol Fred Astaire. ""Royal Wedding"" starred Astaire and Jane Powell as a brother-sister American dancing team performing in England during the royal wedding of Elizabeth and Philip in 1947. Judy Garland"
"last long. Astaire returned to the big screen to replace an injured Kelly in ""Easter Parade"" (1948) opposite Judy Garland, Ann Miller, and Peter Lawford and for a final reunion with Rogers (replacing Judy Garland) in ""The Barkleys of Broadway"" (1949). Both of these films revived Astaire's popularity and in 1950 he starred in two musicals – one for M-G-M – ""Three Little Words"" with Vera-Ellen and Red Skelton and one on loan-out to Paramount – ""Let's Dance"" with Betty Hutton. While ""Three Little Words"" did quite well at the box office, ""Let's Dance"" was a financial disappointment. ""Royal Wedding"""
"friend Gene Kelly who would eventually succeed in creating a modern original dance style based on this concept. Some critics have attributed Astaire's discomfort with ballet (he briefly studied ballet in the 1920s) to his oft-expressed disdain for ""inventing up to the arty"". While the film – the couple's most expensive to date – benefits from quality comedy specialists, opulent art direction by Carroll Clark under Van Nest Polglase's supervision, and a timeless score which introduces three classic Gershwin songs, the convoluted plot and the curious absence of a romantic partnered duet for Astaire and Rogers – a hallmark of"
"in which Fontaine had a small unbilled role. The studio considered her a rising star, and touted ""The Man Who Found Himself"" (1937) with John Beal as her first starring role, placing a special screen introduction, billed as the ""new RKO screen personality"" after the end credit. Fontaine later said it had ""an A budget but a Z story."" RKO put her in ""You Can't Beat Love""(1937) with Preston Foster and ""Music for Madame"" (1937) with Nino Martini. She next appeared in a major role alongside Fred Astaire in his first RKO film without Ginger Rogers, ""A Damsel in Distress"""
"period and, in 1952 won a Tony Award for his revival of ""Pal Joey"" which he had originally choreographed in 1940, catapulting the young Gene Kelly to stardom. He also directed the films ""Merton of the Movies"" (1947) and ""Pagan Love Song"" (1950) for MGM. During this time period. Alton staged and choreographed the dynamic nightclub act, ""Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers"", which successfully toured the world from 1947 to 1952. In 1957 he was working on the film version of ""Pal Joey"" when he collapsed and died, his place was taken by Fred Astaire's principal collaborator, Hermes Pan."
"routine and a ""sock"" solo, each of which is seamlessly integrated into the plot. According to RKO records, the film earned $1,410,000 in the US and Canada and $775,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $625,000. It was released in France in 1945 and recorded admissions of 671,864. The Sky's the Limit (1943 film) The Sky's The Limit is a 1943 romantic musical comedy film starring Fred Astaire and Joan Leslie, with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The film was directed by Edward H. Griffith, and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Astaire plays a Flying Tiger"
"and Kelly were the stars originally announced by MGM in 1948 to appear in the film, in February 1949 the studio announced that Garland would be replaced by June Allyson. She was suspended in May 1949, during the filming of ""Annie Get Your Gun,"" and spent three months in a hospital in Boston being treated for drug dependency. Betty Hutton replaced her on that film, but she was reinstated to the lead in this one, which was her first one following the suspension. Still, the filming was sometimes a struggle for her, who was facing many pressures in her personal"
"to ""distill their personalities through their dancing."" Robert Alton Robert Alton (28 January 1906 – 12 June 1957) was an American dancer and choreographer, a major figure in dance choreography of Broadway and Hollywood musicals from the 1930s through to the early 1950s. He is principally remembered today as the discoverer of Gene Kelly, for his collaborations with Fred Astaire, and for choreographic sequences he designed for Hollywood musicals such as ""The Harvey Girls"" (1946), ""Till the Clouds Roll By"" (1946), ""Show Boat"" (1951), and ""White Christmas"" (1954). Born Robert Alton Hart in Bennington, Vermont, Alton studied dance with Ralph"
"DVD on April 6, 2004 by Warner Home Video. The film received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Score for Roger Edens (musical adaptation) and Georgie Stoll (musical direction). In addition, Gene Kelly received a ""Best Actor"" award from the National Board of Review for his performance. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: Notes For Me and My Gal (film) For Me and My Gal is a 1942 American musical film directed by Busby Berkeley and starring Judy Garland, Gene Kelly – in his film debut – and George Murphy, and featuring Martha"
"for an Oscar for Best Cinematography (Color) for Robert Planck at the 21st Academy Awards. It lost to ""Joan of Arc."" The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: The Three Musketeers (1948 film) The Three Musketeers is a 1948 film directed by George Sidney, written by Robert Ardrey, and starring Gene Kelly and Lana Turner. It is a Technicolor adventure film adaptation of the classic novel ""The Three Musketeers"" by Alexandre Dumas. D'Artagnan (Gene Kelly), an inexperienced Gascon youth, travels to Paris to join the elite King's Musketeers. On his way, he encounters a mysterious lady"
"An Evening with Fred Astaire An Evening with Fred Astaire is a one-hour live television special starring Fred Astaire, broadcast on NBC on October 17, 1958. It was highly successful, winning nine Emmy awards and spawning three further specials, and technically innovative, as it was the first major television show to be recorded on color videotape. It was produced at NBC's Color City studios in Burbank, California. Considered something of a comeback for the then 59-year-old Astaire, the special was his first starring role on television. It was directed and co-produced by Bud Yorkin and introduced Astaire's new partner Barrie"
"of being the first of only six women to dance on screen with both Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. ""I guess the only jewels of my life"", Hayworth said in 1970, ""were the pictures I made with Fred Astaire... And ""Cover Girl"", too."" For three consecutive years, starting in 1944, Hayworth was named one of the top movie box-office attractions in the world. She was adept in ballet, tap, ballroom, and Spanish routines. Cohn continued to showcase Hayworth's dance talents. Columbia featured her in the Technicolor films ""Tonight and Every Night"" (1945) with Lee Bowman and ""Down to Earth"" (1947)"
"Broadway Melody of 1940 Broadway Melody of 1940 is a 1940 MGM film musical starring Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell and George Murphy. It was directed by Norman Taurog and features music by Cole Porter, including ""Begin the Beguine"". The film was the fourth and final entry in MGM's ""Broadway Melody"" series of films, and is notable for being the only on-screen pairing of Astaire and Powell, who were considered the finest film musical dancers of their time. Johnny Brett (Fred Astaire) and King Shaw (George Murphy) are a dance team so down on their luck they're working in a dance"
"A Family Upside Down A Family Upside Down is a 1978 American made-for-television drama film starring Helen Hayes, Fred Astaire, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Pat Crowley and Patty Duke. Directed by David Lowell Rich from a teleplay written by Gerald Di Pego, it was originally broadcast on April 9, 1978 on NBC. Astaire won a Primetime Emmy Award as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama or Comedy Special for his performance and the film also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Made for Television. Ted Long (Fred Astaire) is a retiree who suffers a debilitating heart attack that"
"stage from his parents and worked and toured with them on his path to filmmaking. He broke into the movie business as a cameraman, working on many Laurel and Hardy short films, such as ""Night Owls"" (1930). His first feature film was ""The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble"" in 1933. In 1934 he got his first directing job, the slapstick ""Kentucky Kernels"". His big break came when he directed Katharine Hepburn in ""Alice Adams"" in 1935. He went on in the late 1930s to direct several Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire movies, not only with the two actors together, but"
"There have also been many instrumental recordings, for example, by Dave Grusin, Ray Conniff, Lee Konitz and Lennie Tristano, Sonny Stitt, and Lionel Hampton with Oscar Peterson. The song was included in the 1951 movie ""An American in Paris,"" where it was sung by Gene Kelly and Georges Guétary, as well as in the 1957 American musical film ""Funny Face"", in which it was performed by Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. Doris Day also sang it in ""Starlift"" (1951) and Dean Martin sang it during the opening credits of the 1964 film ""Kiss Me, Stupid"". A version by João Gilberto"
"Wagon"" (1931), winning popular acclaim with the theater crowd on both sides of the Atlantic. By then, Astaire's tap dancing was recognized as among the best, as Robert Benchley wrote in 1930, ""I don't think that I will plunge the nation into war by stating that Fred is the greatest tap-dancer in the world."" After the close of ""Funny Face"", the Astaires went to Hollywood for a screen test (now lost) at Paramount Pictures, but Paramount deemed them unsuitable for films. They split in 1932 when Adele married her first husband, Lord Charles Cavendish, second son of the 9th Duke"
"it without (see the movie poster). Despite statements made in the original theatrical trailer and promotional material that such a production would never be repeated, ""That's Entertainment!"" is one of the few documentaries to spawn official sequels—either two or three, depending upon one's criteria. In 1976, ""That's Entertainment, Part II"" was released. The idea of multiple hosts was dropped for this production, with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly partnering to co-host the retrospective, which expanded beyond musicals to pay tribute to dramatic and comedy stars as well. The film is highlighted by Astaire and Kelly dancing together on film for"
"Royal Wedding Royal Wedding is a 1951 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical comedy film starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell, with music by Burton Lane and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. The film was directed by Stanley Donen; it was his second film and the first he directed on his own. It was released as Wedding Bells in the United Kingdom. The story is set in London in 1947 at the time of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten. Astaire and Powell play siblings in a song and dance duo, echoing the real-life theatrical relationship of Fred and Adele Astaire. ""Royal"
"Let's Dance (1950 film) Let's Dance is a 1950 musical romantic comedy Technicolor film starring Betty Hutton and Fred Astaire, and released by Paramount Pictures. A war widow returns to work with her former dancing partner, but her upper class mother-in-law is against that her grandson is being exposed to show business and takes legal steps to gain custody. Buoyed by the great success of MGM teaming Astaire with their biggest female musical star Judy Garland in the 1948 musical blockbuster ""Easter Parade"", Paramount decided to team Astaire with their biggest female musical star (Hutton) hoping that the same box-office"
"the 1999 film ""Simply Irresistible"". Astaire was reluctant to take the project - he was originally supposed to play the role in 1946 but had avoided it through retirement. Clearly stung by its failure, Astaire later claimed that the dance routines - of which there are more than usual - are of a particularly high standard - a rare verdict from such a notoriously self-critical artist. Vera-Ellen is generally viewed as one of Astaire's most technically proficient dance partners, and this was a factor in his readiness to expand the dance content of the film beyond its traditional proportions. Set"